What on Earth is a Buildable?

Alter the map and change the course of battle.

Whenever you learn a new hobby or activity, you have to understand the basics before you can master the craft. You have to know how to dribble a basketball before you can juke like a Harlem Globetrotter. When I played Breakaway for the first time I was told to, before anything else, learn how Buildables work for each Warrior and use them in every round.

Besides being a made-up word, what exactly is a Buildable?

Each Warrior can summon unique Buildables that can alter the pace of combat or reshape the arena. Thorgrim constructs a giant wall that blocks opponents. Anne Bonny drops a Trampoline that can send a Warrior soaring high into the air. Spartacus deploys a Ramp that can propel Warriors quickly across the map.

The first time I dropped Spartacus’ Ramp, my eyes were opened. What if I chained multiple Ramps together and had Anne Bonny place her Trampoline at the end?? I could use it to quickly cross the field and alley-oop the Relic into the opponent’s Relay! The possibilities are endless.

Buildables persist from round to round – unless a Buildable is destroyed by your opponents, it continues to exist in the arena. There are a few Buildables that are one-time-use, however. So unless the enemy destroys my Ramp-Ramp-Trampoline slam dunk chain, I’ll posterize them each round.

You can deploy one of each of your Buildables every round, so in a five-round match, I could theoretically drop five Ramps as Spartacus. That’s enough 360-jams to make Steph Curry’s head spin.

In games that are combat-focused, there’s always going to be variance in the way a round unfolds. Buildables add another layer of strategy to the mix that emphasizes the fast-paced nature of Breakaway.

Now let’s take a look at a few of the Buildables in Breakaway.

Alona’s Buildables

Sun Shrine

Steady area-of-effect healing for nearby teammates. The effect of Sun Shrine stacks, so multiple Sun Shrines drastically increase the healing a teammate receives. When you’ve got strong pressure against the opponent, dropping a Sun Shrine in the enemy base will give your team some added support.

Light of Judgment

A powerful mirror that targets the nearest opponent and deals damage time. Deploying one near a Jail is a great trap – enemies who get stuck in Jail will get burnt to crisps pretty quickly.

Anne Bonny’s Buildables

Trampoline

Launches Warriors into the air. Good for reaching high areas or clearing tall obstacles. Best placed near enemy portal or Thorgrim’s walls.

Ballista

A turret that fires homing projectiles at enemies. Best placed near your portal or where team fights are most likely to occur. Cannot target enemies at close range.

Black Knight’s Buildables

Siege Engine

A slow-moving battering ram that can easily destroy other Buildables. For efficiency’s sake, drop a Siege Engine in line with several enemy Buildables for maximum carnage.

Spike Trap

A Spike Trap appears on the floor stabbing upward rhythmically. Although this is often used to protect your Relay, placing this in high-traffic areas or near ally Buildables is a great idea.

Morgan Le Fay’s Buildables

Tome of Frailty

A cursed book that reduces the damage of nearby enemies by 50%. Very effective when placed near other Buildables because it makes them much harder to destroy.

Elder Stone

An ancient stone that absorbs the soul essence of enemies and then explodes once it’s had its fill. Place in areas where team fights are likely to occur to maximize its effectiveness.

Rawlins’ Buildables

Jail

Places a trap on the floor, when an opponent makes contact with the trap, they are locked up and the Jail must be destroyed for them to escape. Placing Jails at the top of the ramp at your base, or along high traffic running routes add a great level of defense against quick rushes.

Barrel Dispenser

A dispenser that rolls out explosive barrels over time in a straight line. Place a Barrel Dispenser aimed at the Relic, increasing the chance that it disrupts any opponents attempt to pick up the Relic.

Spartacus’ Buildables

Fire Catapult

The Fire Catapult launches incendiary projectiles, and is good for clearing projectiles. It’s primarily used for disruption on the battlefield. Use it to clear out troublesome enemy Buildables from a distance. During team fights, Fire Catapults can disrupt the enemy team’s advances. Targeting the Relic’s spawn location adds a visual deterrent to the area.

Ramp

Spartacus’ Ramp is used to gain distance and move the Relic forward. Place a Ramp at the base of your team’s starting area to approach the Relic quickly. Surprise ramps can be powerful – place a Ramp near your opponent’s base to add an instant-scoring threat.

Thorgrim’s Buildables

Demolition Hammer

The Demolition Hammer rises and falls. When it falls it will conduct a concussive force in the area around it. Place this in the arena where you want your team to control the area. Fighting near this will cause opponents to have to deal with both you and the Buildable.

Wall

This places a very large and hardy wall. Place the wall across a path to block movement or fast slide paths. Another good use is to use walls to funnel the other team through a narrow corridor in order for teammates attack Buildables to work their magic.

In the studio, we just started scratching the surface of the depth of play and counter-play Buildables bring to the table. Once the game hits Alpha, we can’t wait to see what you guys will come up with.